In its quest to create a digital platform for business enablement, Dark Fibre Africa has engaged with CA Southern Africa to provide several Application Programming Interfaces (API) management solutions. With a flexible, open approach to the development of essential software, Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) is able to out-innovate competitors and delight customers with new products and services.

DFA is a premier open-access telecommunications provider headquartered in South Africa.

Michelle Butterworth, CA Southern Africa Account Director, Cyber Security, says flexibility and rapidity of response are defining characteristics of digital businesses. “However, many organisations find they are unable to easily access and use their data and existing systems, which are arranged in silos with no clear method or process of accessing those resources.”

APIs are a set of clearly defined methods of communication among various software components or applications. In opting for an ‘API-first’ approach, DFA is prioritising APIs for every software development project. This enables mobile apps to consume software functions readily and any given software component to interact with other components.

Successful telecommunications companies operate within extensive networks of partners and customers and efficient information exchange is crucial. It is thus important for DFA to expose data to these third parties. Previously this was done with ‘mini portals’ using APIs for point-to-point integrations but these lacked proper governance, control, and security, which posed risks to the business.

“Digital initiatives based on APIs are all about providing scalable, reliable connectivity between data, people, apps and devices, as well as moving from isolated platforms to an integrated digital ecosystem. That, in turn, requires a disciplined approach to managing the complex interactions between enterprise software applications,” says Butterworth. 

DFA embarked on a rigorous proof-of-concept process before selecting the appropriate technology and vendor to support the strategy, ultimately deciding on CA Southern Africa. The solutions address the challenges of integrating systems, adapting services, orchestrating data and rapidly creating modern, enterprise-grade APIs from different sources, says Butterworth.

“This equips DFA with a digital services ecosystem which enables the creation and delivery of innovative solutions. It increases business efficiency among partners and customers and allows for securely exposing data to third parties for additional value creation,” Butterworth concludes.